Recipe: Vietnamese Pork with Orange Juice and Coriander

VIETNAMESE PORK WITH ORANGE JUICE AND CORIANDER

FOR THE PORK:
1 (2 1/2 pound) pork loin, center cut, trimmed of most fat
20 small cloves garlic, peeled
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup chopped coriander (cilantro) stalks
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
4 bay leaves
4 whole allspice
FOR THE SAUCE:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon fat skimmed from pan juices
3 green onions, finely chopped with most of the green parts
2 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
Juice of 2 large oranges
1/4 cup finely chopped coriander (cilantro) stalks

TO PREPARE THE PORK:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and set rack in middle of oven.

Make 20 incisions all over pork with the point of a sharp knife and insert garlic. Season meat with salt and pepper to taste. Put meat on rack in roasting pan and sprinkle top thickly with chopped coriander. Put broth, bay leaves and allspice in roasting pan and cover tightly with foil so no steam will escape.

Cook meat in the oven until it is very tender but not falling apart, so that you can slice it easily - about 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Set meat aside on warm dish for about 15 minutes. Slice meat, cover with foil and keep warm in oven.

IN THE MEANTIME, TO PREPARE THE SAUCE:
Degrease broth. Put butter and 1 tablespoon of the skimmed fat in a saucepan and heat. Add onions and 1 tablespoon of the lime juice and fry gently until soft.

Add remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice plus the skimmed pan juices; be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan well. Cover the pan and cook sauce about 5 minutes.

Add mustard, orange juice and chopped coriander stalks. Cook, uncovered, about 4 minutes longer.

Pour some of the sauce over the meat and pass the rest in a separate dish.

Makes 5 to 6 servings
Source: Nothing Fancy by Diana Kennedy